


Nemesism

by KatMotif



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Assumed Character Death, F/M, Guilt, I write more JNPR fic than fic for the team the show's named after is that bad, IDK Why I'm so weak for JNPR angst but I just am, Lots of Crying, Love Confessions, Oscar's Presumed Dead and Ren Blames Himself, Poly JNR Hintage At The End if you Squint, Post-Volume 7 (RWBY), Ren and Nora Need to Talk in V8, Self-Hatred, Survivor Guilt, This Might Contradict my Other Post V7 Renora fic but that's okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25656826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatMotif/pseuds/KatMotif
Summary: Nemesism - (noun) frustration, anger, or aggression directed inward, toward oneself and one’s way of living.“Yes sir.”If Lie Ren had known what the man he’d said those words to was going to cause him and the people he loves so much calamity and pain, he would have never said them. If he had known James Ironwood was going to betray him and his found family this way, by (seemingly, from what the footage Pietro had found in his hacking) killing its youngest member, he would have just bit his tongue.Ren’s POV. Post V7, Written before V8's release so canon will probably contradict this at some point. Renora Angst.
Relationships: Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	Nemesism

_ “Yes sir.” _

If Lie Ren had known what the man he’d said those words to was going to cause him and the people he loves so much calamity and pain, he would have never said them. If he had known James Ironwood was going to betray him and his found family this way, by (seemingly, from what the footage Pietro had found in his hacking) killing its youngest member, he would have just bit his tongue.

His hands were shaking, visibly, more than he would usually allow. He was too exhausted to use his semblance to mask his emotions. His heart was pounding, his throat tightening as if he was being choked, and his eyes were welled up with tears he couldn’t fight anymore. He couldn’t think, couldn’t focus, all he could think was how this was all his fault.

_ “Sometimes the worst action to take...is taking no action at all.” _ For once, he wished he hadn’t taken his father’s words to heart, because he surely couldn’t have known this was going to happen to his son. 

And if that wasn’t enough, his partner, his childhood friend, the love of his life, Nora Valkyrie, was looking at him as if he’d been the one to shoot Oscar himself. That same meeting she had criticised Ironwood openly, his treatment of the citizens of Mantle, the way he didn’t seem to care about them. Admittedly, Ren didn’t like that aspect of Ironwood’s actions either, but he was still doing  _ something _ and at the time, Ren had wanted to believe that he knew what he was doing. 

She was shaking too, violently. If she wasn’t just as exhausted as he was there would probably have been sparks of electricity rising from her skin, due to her own semblance. Her eyes, turquoise and brilliant and sharp in her glare, bore into his own pink and she might as well have had her hand on his throat herself, strangling him. And all he could think was how he would have deserved it. It was his fault.

“Well?” Nora said, venom in her tone that Ren had never had directed at him before, and it only added to the pain he was already feeling. This was it; this was what was finally going to break them, their seemingly inseparable bond ruined because of his blind trust in others, in  _ authority _ , because he wanted to do the right thing. 

“I’m sorry.” he breathed, looking away from her. He couldn’t look at her anymore. He couldn’t bear what was to come next. He slumped against the wall of the airship, the corner they’d tucked themselves into, barely holding himself up. 

“Look at me.” her voice cracked and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Lie, look at me!” When Ren looked back up at her, he saw tears streaming down her face already, her glare easing in sadness.

“You trusted him.” she sobbed. “You trusted him and Oscar’s dead!”

“It’s all my fault.” he croaked, his throat tightening just that much more, painfully so, tears streaming down his face. He covers his face in his trembling hands and sinks to the floor, sobbing quietly. He clenches his bangs in his fingers gingerly, his entire body shaking with each sob, slumping more and more into himself.

“It’s  _ not _ ...it’s not your fault…” she admitted, still not coming near him, wrapping her arms around herself and sobbing a bit more loudly than Ren.

“Then why is Oscar dead?!” Ren’s voice cracked as he shouted, his throat burning as he covered it with his hand.

“Because Ironwood’s a  **_bastard_ ** .” Nora growled, dropping her hands to her sides and clenching them into tightly balled, white-knuckled fists. Her teeth bared, her entire body going rigid with a mix of sadness and rage that he hadn’t seen in her since Beacon had fallen. The first time they’d lost a teammate, a family member. Pyrrha.

“I’m sorry…” Ren spoke again, softly, his voice being lost to the torrent of emotions that constricted his very being. He could only think of Pyrrha, and of Oscar, and of Nora, and his fear of losing her, too. Gods, he was so scared of losing Nora too. There was silence between them both, aside from softening sobs. Eventually Nora slumped and fell to her bottom on the opposite wall, pulling her knees to her chest.

“You were wrong.” Nora whispered. Ren looked up at her, brow scrunched, but didn’t interrupt. “You were wrong when we said we have nothing. We might not have the relic, or Oscar, but we still have each other. That still matters to you, right?”

The question posed should have had bite to it, with the words Nora chose, but she was just as broken as he was right now. The look in her eyes was no longer a glare, but a pleading, almost like the look Neopolitan had mimicked, but sincere. Remembering  _ her _ made Ren’s stomach turn, his moment of weakness, his hesitation.

“That was my fault, too. The relic. Neapolitan. I hesitated and it cost us.” Ren grumbled, wiping at his face, the tear streaks irritating his cheeks.

“Why?” Nora asked softly, nearly whispering.

“Because I…” Ren breathed, and he started panting again. His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his throat. “I didn’t want to hurt  _ you _ .”

“But it  _ wasn’t me _ .” Nora reasoned, her brow furrowing slightly, knees dropping slightly as her feet slid across the floor.

“I know it wasn’t you! It wasn’t you...but...she exploited a weakness of mine. My fear o-of... _losing_ _you_.” Ren stated, his voice still cracking, his hands still trembling. He was too exhausted to conceal even his feelings for Nora, and a part of him wanted to just let it be; put his heart on the table, for once, for _her_. Maybe he wouldn’t lose her too, maybe he would end up with a broken heart. He believed, wholeheartedly, right now, he deserved the latter.

Gods knew, Ren thought, how often he must have broken hers by not reciprocating her affection even when he wanted to. Letting his fear of losing any of them unintentionally push the ones he loved, especially Nora, away. She deserved better than that, he thought, and he believed right now that she deserved better than him altogether. She deserved the world. He wasn’t sure he could give that to her.

“My moment of weakness cost us the relic. Maybe Oscar too. Everything’s falling apart and it’s all my fault, Nora. If you want nothing to do with me anymore, I cannot, will not blame you. You deserve better than this...than me.” He breathed, too exhausted to even cry anymore. Nora was quiet for a moment. She looked at her knees for a moment before her crying began anew, her hands covering her face as a new, far weaker, round of sobs hit her.

“You  _ really think _ that for a  _ second _ I’m just going to turn my back on you?!” She screamed, lowering her hands and throwing her arms down, smacking the floor loudly. “After everything we’ve been through, after all this time, you think I’d just leave you?!”

Ren flinched, then lowered his head, shaking it but saying nothing. He didn’t know what to say. It seemed everything he said just made things even worse. Tears streamed down his face once more and his breathing was hoarse and shallow, hiccupping between every few breaths. Then, he felt a hand wrap around his arm, Nora’s head laying on his shoulder.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easy, Lie.” She breathed into his ear, her voice trembling. “You might not think you deserve me, but I don’t care. I love you. I love you way too much to just let you go.”

Ren’s heart pounded in his chest and his breathing deepened, like the words she spoke opened his lungs anew. He turned to her and his pink eyes met her turquoise, both equally bloodshot and puffy from all their crying. He slowly raised his arm and softly hung it across her shoulders. Hesitating for a second, he leaned closer to her and kissed her temple.

“You were wrong, before.” Nora reasoned, wrapping her arms around his waist, clinging to his side like her life depended on it; they were each other’s lifeline, and the tightness in Ren’s heart dissipated when he remembered that.

“I know. We still have each other. I don’t...I don’t mean to push you away.” Ren pleaded softly into her hair.

“Then stop doing it. Let me love you, dammit.” Nora huffed, burying her head in the crook of his neck and hiccuping.

“I love you too.” Ren finally whispered. “I don’t know if I am worthy of your love but...I want to be.” 

“I think that’s up to me to decide, isn’t it?” Nora mused, sitting up a bit and tilting Ren’s chin down to face her. They looked into each other’s eyes once more, and Ren leaned down and kissed Nora’s lips, the two of them melting into each other. Grief was still gripping both of their hearts but they still had each other, and the love finally stated, renewed.

“Gosh, you kiss  _ way _ better when you take the lead.” Nora said against his lips when the kiss broke. Ren chuckled softly and pulled her into his arms, onto his lap, holding her tightly against him. His previous thoughts of him finally losing her, everything, all of that was gone and replaced with a renewed focus on protecting what he still had. Nora hugged him back, her hands gripping his clothes for dear life.

Before the moment could go on, Jaune came over to them. Their team leader’s eyes were bloodshot and puffy too, but he smiled, his dark blue eyes hopeful as he looked at what remained of his team.

“Guys...Oscar’s alive.” Jaune whimpered. Nora turned in Ren’s arms and they both reached for their team leader, who dropped to his knees and embraced them both.

“Ironwood’s still going to pay for what he has done.” Ren sighed. Nora kissed his cheek.

“Glad you’re coming to your senses.” She whispered. Jaune chuckled and squeezed them both tighter.

“But first, let’s get our family back together.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know. I can't stop writing Renora/JNPR/JNR angst and I'm sorry. I swear I'm not just watching RWBY for them (I love RWBY too but right now I'm fixated on JNPR, so help me gosh). Look, I just want Nora and Ren to talk things out, whether it's pretty or not and I want them to be happy (and not die, please don't kill them RT for the love of goodness).
> 
> I guess I wasn't satisfied with my first round of this scenario. Which is fine I guess, writers are allowed to go back and rework things they're not happy with. I'm only a humble fanfiction writer (for now ;) ) so I can change my mind.
> 
> Anyway, leave a kudos if you like, comment if you're up to it (I can never think of any myself so I don't blame you if I don't. And don't worry there's more AT(T) coming soon, I'm just taking a short break. And I'm not done with the feels there either, happy and sad. This was just an interlude I suppose because after listening to the Volume 7 soundtrack and the song Let's Get Real my desire for Renora Talking About Their Fucking Feelings was renewed. Seriously that is the one thing I ask from V8 (I know it's only two days worth of events but who knows, they're going to squeeze in flashbacks they minus well have Ren and Nora talk about their feelings too, right?). That and of course nobody dying. Well, nobody I care about.
> 
> This is the most I've stuffed in the notes in a while but I've got a lot of feelings. - Kat
> 
> Also special thanks to WobblyJellyfish for beta reading this for me! It's the first time I ever asked someone to do so. I really ought to more often considering how often I miss grammar and spelling errors.


End file.
